About the Center

The objective of the Education and Research Center is to give occupational safety and health professionals the opportunity to develop public health perspectives, a sensitivity about political climates, and the skills and knowledge needed to identify and prevent occupational impairments, disease, and injuries through control or elimination of harmful occupational exposures.

In 1977, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) established the Educational Resource Center (ERC) Program in response to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, which mandated the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure an adequate supply of trained professionals in the field of occupational safety and health. The Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health was selected as the site of an ERC to serve the New England region. The Center is partially funded by a grant from NIOSH, and current investigations are frequently related to the cause and prevention of the leading work-related problems identified by NIOSH in the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA).

Qualified individuals undertaking an approved degree program in occupational epidemiology, occupational and evironmental medicine, occupational health nursing, or industrial hygiene may be eligible for traineeship awards that partially fund tuition and health fees.

Other facets of the Center include a sponsored research program spanning a variety of occupational health problems and drawing upon the expertise of scientists in many disciplines. The center also offers short-term courses, seminars, and workshops for physicians, nurses, industrial hygienists, safety engineers, and other occupational safety and health professionals, paraprofessionals, and technicians. Finally, through its outreach program, the center has formed a network that encompasses academic institutions, professional societies, governmental agencies, unions, companies, and community associations throughout the New England region.

For more information about the Education and Research Center for Occupational Safety and Health, please contact: